The Indian agriculture industry is dying, and along with it, its farmers. A nearly three-decades-long suicide crisis has crippled India's farmers.
In November 2020, tens of thousands of farmers marched the streets and set up blockades along New Delhi's busiest highways. Ten months and nearly 500 deaths later, Indian farmers continue their sit-ins to protest three agricultural laws that threaten their financial stability and, for many, their livelihood.
Well before the largest protest in history, Indian farmers have struggled with insurmountable debt and a deteriorating quality of life. Approximately 300,000 farmers have died by suicide since 1995 and over 40 have died by suicide during the Indian farmer protests.
Agriculture accounts for 16% of India's total GDP. However, nearly 60% of India's labor force still depends on agriculture and farming for their livelihood. Over 80% of farmers are family operated with very minimal, and sometimes nonexistent, profit margins. This has led to decades of spiraling debt for over half of India's farm workers. The insurmountable debt combined with a shrinking agricultural economy has contributed to a growing suicide crisis. In 2019, it was reported that over 10,000 farmers and agriculture workers completed suicide. In a recent study on the mental health status of farmers in the state of Maharashtra, over 50% of farmers reported anxiety and
